What Challenged You the Most?

I got stuck in the aquifer model at the beginning. I kept feeling like everything I did was correct, but it looked completely wacky.

I think the most challenging thing was to get the timing right on everything. I kept making one variable fast and another too slow. I definitely am the type of person who has to conquer the task before moving on.

The module that I found the most frustrating was the very first module when we were creating the flowers. The reason for it being so difficult for me was lack of understanding. Trying to find all of the right pieces to make it work. I felt that when I actually go to the in person part it made it so much easier.

What challenged me the most was being totally uncomfortable with coding prior to our 3 day workshop. I would get frustrated and had a difficult time with the modules prior to the workshop. The first day I still felt lost for most of the day, however, by day 2, I was getting more comfortable with working with the programs. There were times when it was frustrating trying to get the code to do what we wanted it to do. At that point, we would switch partners and when frustration got to high, then we just asked for help. We would not want to stop doing our programming though when it was time to move on because most of us are science teachers and we want to solve the problem. Sometimes either one of us would just take a break and walk for a few seconds. I think it will be a little tougher during the year because I won’t have the same support system in the room, however I feel confident that the kids will pick it up quick and probably do better than I will.

In our in-person PD experience, The thing I found most challenging was to figure out which block to use and how to arrange them to get the agents to behave the way I wanted them to. It was a challenge to remember where the blocks were located and what each block coded for. Sometimes, I wanted the agents to behave a certain way but did not know which blocks to use and where to place them. When we hit a wall, there were times when I wanted to set it aside and move on to something else, but then a thought would occur to me and I wanted to come back and conquer it.

The most challenging to me was using the right blocks with the right variables to make the model I desired to make. It was frustrating and rewarding to be so challenges at the same time. I hung in there and with the help of my partner Iwas able to figure it out…but losta few hairs in the process.

What challenged me most is how to use the different blocks, learning how to use it, and with so o many blocks to learn and then the facing of activity is too fast, I don’t have enough time to process everything.
This was challenging. If we are given models, then I think it will be easier for me.

For me, the most challenging part was toward the end when we were challenged to alter our ecosystem and then try to once again balance it. A concept student often struggle to understand is how one small change in an environment, say, an increase in water temperature can significantly impact an entire ecosytem. I think this module could be used to allow students to see this for themselves.

The entire concept of coding to me is very new and not something I studied in school, so most of the PD was challenging. I learned quite a bit but need more time to explore before running though the full module with students.

I think I was challenged by everything we did in class. Not in a bad way, but it made me think and focus in a different way than I was use to. I really enjoyed this challenge, and never found it boring or tedious.

The most challenging thing was determining what you needed to code to get the results you wanted. I want to be able to use the model we worked on, but I was having and am still having major issues wrapping my head around breaking down what I want done with how I need to proceed to do it.

What challenged me the most was Module 2. Creating the tables/double water pumps. I felt successful at the end of the training and was able to conquer the setup of the water drainage and pump. However, now I’m back to square one, would love a refresher.

I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on the codes and what they do, the workshop was very intense and fast paced. I’m still struggling with how to put them together to do things. That’s why I feel having a more detailed experience with the coding would have been beneficial. I’m pretty slow when it comes to computers and this was way out of my box, I felt everyone was ahead of me and it was a bit discouraging. I think more time to explore and show us how it can work would have helped me a lot.

It is still a little difficult to remember all the codes and what action or task they accomplish. Practice and repetition like basic math problems will have to be my key to remember and understand code and actions.

I was challenged by the parts of the simulation that were not based on cold hard facts. I will need to do more research on my own to alleviate this challenge.

I didn’t like being a novice again - which surprised me - I like to collaborate but since I didn’t know much I didn’t feel like I could meaningfully contribute much. I guess I learned something new about myself as much as I learned about CAS/modeling/simulations and that would be that I like group work as long as I don’t think everyone else in the group is smarter than me -> annoyed that they’re stuck with me being in their group. I’m not saying I’m the smartest person in the room - no way! - but my level of discomfort made me sensitive to my students in a way I hadn’t thought about in ages. Whenever I design some collaboration into any lesson this year, programming or otherwise, I’m going to pay extra attention to how I set it up and I’m going to look deeper than just the overall dynamic and final product - I’m going to watch the process to see whether any students go through that discomfort and how well they adjust.

What challenges me the most is understanding what I should put in the world vs. with an agent. I usually have to look back at old code to help me remember how to start a simulation and where commands should go. I need to practice more to become more familiar with it.

The greatest challenge I encountered was understanding what blocks should be placed in the world vs. an agent. With that, I felt like I did not have enough time in the PD to be able to truly problem solve these issues on my own.

What challenged me most was when other teachers and I began getting creative and thinking of ways to add and edit parts of the code to create original content. This was both challenging and fun:)

My challenge now is to remember with I learned in the summer. I was on a roll in the summer and I hope I can recall that knowledge fairly quickly.